Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Believes the Metaverse Has Been Here for Some Time

The metaverse and its current conceptions have been the subject of debate and criticism. The current head of the Xbox brand and CEO of gaming at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, offered his skeptical take on how the metaverse, an alternate world, is currently being presented. In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer stated that the metaverse is nothing new and that it is related to what gamers have already been doing for some time. He explained:

My view on metaverse is that gamers have been in the metaverse for 30 years. When you’re playing games, these 3D shared worlds that people have been playing in for years and years, I think what we’ve found is that there’s more connection because we have a shared purpose.

Furthermore, Spencer clarified that gamers might be confused with the concept of the metaverse because having an avatar in a game and being part of a virtual world where voice communication is available can be considered inhabiting it.

While Spencer personally might be skeptical about the metaverse, Microsoft and the Xbox brand have used the term regularly at different times. In January, when announcing the purchase of Activision Blizzard for almost $69 billion, Microsoft stated it would “accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.”

Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/xbox-boss-phil-spencer-skeptical-about-metaverse-criticizes-play-to-earn-models/